Ariel Rose and Ellen Grocki and in "West Side Story Suite." Choreography by Jerome Robbins. (Photo by Gary James)
Following works by legendary modern icons in “Modern Masters” for its second program in February, Miami City Ballet, led by Artistic Director, Lourdes Lopez, treads some well-known territory with “Fresh & Fierce.” Its third program of the season opens at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on April 14 offers two familiar and well-loved favorites in dance classics and one world premiere.
George Balanchine is presented in his most pristine elegance in “Divertimento No. 15,” audiences thrill to the hit musical and movie, made into a "suite of dances" in “West Side Story Suite” with choreography by Jerome Robbins and music by Leonard Bernstein. Then, new paths are forged as a future voice in classical ballet is presented in "Sentimiento" by young talent and MCB school alum, Durante Verzola, who is already making a name for himself locally and nationally.
Lopez says, “People know and love 'West Side Story.' 'Divertimento No. 15' is Balanchine at his best and Durante (Verzola) is someone I’ve had my eye on for a while. It’s about bringing audiences back to the theater, reminding them that we’re still here and to show them a good time.”
The three ballets are unique in style with different technical and artistic needs.
Balanchine’s “Divertimento No. 15” with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was created in 1956 to premier at the Mozart Festival held at the American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Conn. It was a successful reworking of an earlier ballet created in 1952 called “Caracole.”
The then-new work featured the five New York City Ballet ballerinas of that time, Diana Adams, Melissa Hayden, Allegra Kent, Tanaquil LeClerq, and Patricia Wilde who were partnered in duets, pas de deux and trios by three featured men in the company, Herbert Bliss, Nicholas Magalanes, and Roy Tobias. There is also a corps de ballet of eight women offering solos and ensemble work in groupings and forming patterns throughout. The ballet has now become a staple performed by companies throughout the world.
Jordan Martinez, Alexander Kaden, and Durante Verzola rehearsing Sentimiento. Choreography by Durante Verzola. (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)
Known as a challenging and pure dance Balanchine "tutu" ballet, "Divert" (as it is known in dance) is said to be more like fine crystal than diamonds. Its dazzling speed, complex choreographic patterns and musical clarity, again, show why the choreography of Balanchine stands the test of time.
MCB principal artists Jennifer Lauren and Nathalia Arja are both in rehearsal presently for all three works.
Lauren says that when she was 16 years old, "Divert" was the first Balanchine ballet she ever danced. In MCB's "Divert," she is dancing the role first performed by Balanchine ballerina Patricia Wilde, a strong and versatile ballerina and known as a true "Balanchine dancer."
“Every Balanchine work is quintessential Balanchine, but in 'Divert,' you put the tutu on and you just feel like a ballerina,” Lauren says. “It’s musical, technical; my part now is extremely hard, but I love that. It is truly a ballerina’s ballet.”
Balanchine, known for his meticulous partnership of dance and music, created his choreographic patterns and formations for "Divert" based on the musical structure of Mozart’s divertimento, which Balanchine considered the finest divertimento ever written. (In classical music, a divertimento is an 18th-century musical genre light and entertaining.)
It is also unique to have five lead women with only three lead men completing the unusual and complex choreographic synergy.
Lauren continues explaining how the tutus brush each other and the dancers swirl together.
“It seems to just fit perfectly to what the music is saying. It goes from the most luxurious movement to the quickest fastest solos. I don’t even know what my feet do sometimes,” she says with a laugh. “It’s fast!”
MCB Dancers rehearsing Divertimento No. 15. Choreography by George Balanchine The George Balanchine Trust. (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)
Lauren does most of her dancing with Stanislav Olshanskyi from the Ukraine, hired in 2022.
“He’s been put in so many Balanchine ballets very quickly; 'Serenade,' 'Square Dance,' he’s dancing with me in 'Divert' and he’s in 'West Side Story.' I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. He’s a great dancer and a wonderful partner,” she says. ”He’s very adaptable and ready to learn.”
Both Lauren and Nathalia Arja agree that “West Side Story Suite” (WSSS), from the musical theater world, is very different for them and a lot of fun. Robbins has marvelously adapted the longer narrative including all the drama and laughter to concisely tell the story in a "suite" of dance and song.
Lauren is a Jett and is Riff's girlfriend.
“We’re teenagers, we have a lot of pent-up anger against the Sharks and we’re very competitive. We close the show all singing together and it makes me teary-eyed every time,” she says. “We’re still hoping for goodness.”
Arja is playing the role of Anita in "West Side Story Suite" for the second time. The role is a saucy one and requires quite a bit of singing.
Arja says, “I’m always up for the challenge, but if someone had said to me one day I’d be singing in a ballet, I would have thought it was a joke. I tell students, you just never know, you’ve got to be ready for anything.”
Miami City Ballet dancers in "West Side Story Suite." Choreography by Jerome Robbins. (Photo by Gary James)
Arja feels that the role of Anita is a perfect fit for her. She is from Brazil, and loves America and wants to "be in America" as the song famously states.
“I feel that Anita is the closest role to Nathalia, to my personality and my story. Being a Latina, leaving my country, conquering a space here in this country that isn’t mine, and kind of overcoming these battles. It feels very much like me,” she says.
The role of Anita has a flare, speed and spiciness that Arja loves.
“You don’t have to think about technique, you’re really embracing who the person is and where the dancing comes from,” she says. “In Balanchine ballets, such as 'Divert,' there are beautiful steps that speak for themselves. In WSSS, this is me embracing a strong Latina and the movements reflect her power; she’s so empowered.”
Revisiting the role again has given Arja the confidence and maturity that comes with personal experience and time. She feels her voice is stronger, she is more fearless in her approach and is more confident in her presentation.
“I love coming back to a role that I did earlier. I have a much more mature approach. You can see the change in your dancing self.”
Arja is also revisiting her role in "Divert."
“My variation specifically requires lots of technique, it sometimes feels like a ballet class. There is more elegance, more true classical ballet.”
Arja’s role in "Divert’" was danced by Miami City Ballet's artistic director when Lopez was with New York City Ballet. For Arja, it’s especially meaningful to be coached by Lopez, to hear thoughts, stories, and technical information that comes directly from the source.
“This is ballet,” says Arja.
The third piece on the program is “Sentimiento” translated as "Feelings" by Durante Verzola, a young, enthusiastic and talented up-and-coming choreographer. Verzola is a former student of the Miami City Ballet School.
His first piece of choreography was done for the MCB school as part of a workshop. It was then that Verzola, as he says, realized "how much he loved choreography" and after dancing professionally for four years, he embarked on his choreographic journey.
He had already done a couple of smaller pieces for MCB at the request of Lopez. With this larger choreographic commission already in place, he was contacted by the MCB school in 2022 to become a full-time instructor.
“Somehow, Miami just kept calling me back,” he says. “And here I am now as a full-time instructor for the school and I already have another commission from the company for next year.”
The full cast of dancers that he is using for “Sentimiento” are people he admired as a student at the school, some of his former classmates, dancers he has known from other organizations who are now in MCB and a handful are former students of his. Needless to say, he is very familiar with the dancers he has created his new ballet on.
“It is very comfortable working here, and I feel I do know how to use the dancers’ strengths and qualities to show them at their best.”
Miami City Ballet dancers in "West Side Story Suite." Choreography by Jerome Robbins. (Photo by Gary James)
Arja says that her pas de deux with principal artist, Steven Loch is a fiery and passionate tango. It is comprised of steps that she loves to do, and because Verzola created the steps thinking of her, they fit like a glove.
Lauren says she feels romance in her pas de deux with Chase Swatosh.
“To me it is very emotional. It is like an evening out with your partner enjoying each other,” Lauren says. “The costumes are beautiful. It’s going to be like a high fashion show. Lots of beautiful sparkles and my costume has a dark blue feather trim.”
Verzola gives much thanks to Lopez "for taking me under her wing and giving me opportunities" and MCB school director, Arantxa Ochoa, for opening up possibilities for him.
“I was so taken by the inventiveness and musicality of his first piece of choreography for the school." says Lopez. "Since then, I’ve been asking him to do little things, to gain experience in his craft. During (the pandemic), he did our first digital work, 'Dance for Heroes.' Durante is so talented, but the best thing is that he listens. I never get in the way of his artistic decisions but I do make suggestions that I feel might enhance his works and I help him edit. I hope the help I provide is guidance.”
Verzola considers Lopez a mentor who has guided him well.
For “Sentimiento,” Verzola is using nine pieces of jazzy and dynamic music by Cuban composer, Ernesto Lecuona who is known as the Gershwin of Cuba. Verzola has found that many Cuban people know Lecuona’s music from their childhood. He loves using the older Cuban music to create a new classical piece that "makes sense for the day and age we live in today."
Lopez suggested working with company pianist, Francisco Renno, who will be playing the pieces live on stage.
“I really wanted to create a love letter to Miami,” says Verzola. “This is sort of my homecoming to be back here, Miami has given me so much momentum. I wanted to pay tribute to the beautiful Art Deco architecture, the sunlight that has this renewing quality, the ocean, the vibrancy, the jazz that existed back in the day. There’s a magical feel in Miami even when you just walk up and down the street. There’s an energy. I think there’s also a romance here; people fall in love.”
In “Sentimiento,” each scene is a little vignette that has a different group of dancers who all come together towards the end. While there is no direct narrative, Verzola hopes that audiences will find their own story and their own feelings, within each vignette.
“My style is influenced by my training which has been at Balanchine style schools. I take away a lot from the musicality, the energy, the freedom of movement. I like to build on that. Musical clarity and expressive upper body is important to me. The ability to communicate through movement; I like dancers to look like human beings, but I do love the very technical element,” he laughs. “Finding the balance between technical virtuosity while allowing the dancers to show their personality and individuality.”
Verzola continues,”I hope the audience walks away with a deeper connection to their emotions and I hope they see something beautiful up on stage.”
Arja concludes, ”From ballerinas in tutus, a new creation on pointe rooted in classical dance, and then an audience favorite in West Side Story. In this program, you see it all.”
Miami City Ballet's “Fresh & Fierce”
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami: Friday and Saturday, April 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., 2 p.m., Sunday, April 16.
Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach: Friday, April 21, Saturday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. Matinee at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 22 and 1 p.m. Sunday, April 23.
Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Ave, Fort Lauderdale. Saturday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 30.
For ticket information, call or text at (305) 929-7010 or go to www.miamicityballet.org.
